21 March 2012

Amazing. These two sisters, for a fee, will custom embroider your own initials. They call themselves "makers of things assorted" and have "an unusual obsession with paper and patterns, like geeking out with gashapon toys and enjoy getting crafty with embroidery and fimo. *[Check them out here and commission your own embroidered initials here.]

Bradford Shellhammer, the cofounder of FAB, made these collages when his "obsession and collection of design objects deepened and expanded, into the world of art." So he took the logical next step and began painting. "And paint (and cut and tape) he did—for hours at a time, for several weeks... playing with various media and finding his niche in collage." *[These remind me of the importance of creating with your hands, taking a break from technological tools, and not taking oneself too seriously. All good things.]

20 March 2012

This was a fun wedding project. I was fortunate to work with Alix, who is so lovely and nice. She was familiar with my handwriting/doodling (from our days working together on Madewell Musings) which turned out to be a perfect fit for her wedding invitations. Silkscreened in white on duplexed kraft cardstock and tied with string. Click on image for detail. *[From the pictures (here, here, and here), it looks like it was a very memorable day. Thanks Alix!]

19 March 2012

These came in a lot of Creative Playthings toys I won on Ebay. Included were two sets of the rocking horse and see-saw, as well as a swing set similar to this one. We sent the duplicate set out west to our friends' newborn son in Oakland, CA. And, the set pictured here stayed east with us for our newest addition. The pieces are made of 1.5" thick unfinished wood -- ideal for pushing, grabbing, and playing. *[MoreeBay listings for Creative Playthings. I love these!]

16 March 2012

This partial sheet of dog stickers was tucked between the pages of my 2-year-old's sketch book. He had stuck some transparent, color-coding, circle labels over the heads of the dogs. Not unlike John Baldessari whose artwork involved "placing colorful dots over faces, obscuring portions of scenes, or juxtaposing stock photographs with quixotic phrases, injecting humor and dissonance into vernacular imagery." *[I've found Avery stickers/labels quite useful for kids -- they love the various shapes and colors, and they leave so much to the imagination.]

15 March 2012

These maps are from Graphis Diagrams a wonderful book on the "graphic visualization of abstract data." The first map was taken from Plan for New York City, designed by Don Page and Frank Williams. The second map is from Etude d'amenagement, an urban renewal project based in Geneva, designed by Joel Katz. I love the liberal use of color in both examples. *[The bottom map reminds me of this book.]

14 March 2012

While perusing the READ section at Present & Correct, I came across this book: SHAPES by John J. Reiss: "a riot of geometric illustrations and bright acid colours. Follow Mr Fox as he explores each shape and where we find them in the world. He is aided by a mole, some birds & various beautifully depicted objects. A collectible hardback in good condition (ex library)." Thanks Neal! *[Here are two other books he has authored: Numbers and Colors]

12 March 2012

Recently, while visiting my parents in Northern California, I spotted dozens of these large cans on a shelf tucked behind their basement stairs. These are food storage cans circa 1970 (definitely expired) with corresponding recipes (typeset in black Courier, no less) printed on the back of each can. *[I'm quite curious about the Fruit Galaxy. Here's a modern version you can try for yourself.]

08 March 2012

This striped quilt was inspired by Mary & Matt's post on John Nixon's stripe paintings. I based the design on one of his Polychrome Paintings from a series he did in 2007. Machine pieced and quilted stripes, I chose yellow thread for the stitching. The back is a solid cotton in chocolate brown. *[Hey: I'm in the market for a new sewing machine. Any recommendations for a brand with a great backstitch?]

07 March 2012

"Paper Zoo: The delightful paper-folding kit comprising a 12-page booklet and 36 pre-scored sheets of colourful paper to fold a variety of beautiful exotic and domestic animals. A highly entertaining and educational device to develop manual skills and to stimulate the imagination." Published by the MoMA; Design:Ernst Roch, 1985. *[This copy was given to me by my amazing friends, Erik & Jess. Thank you -- you always find the best books.]

05 March 2012

Last week, I visited the Japanese superstore Mitsuwa in Edgewater, NJ (a graphic designer's heaven with Japanese candy, books, and sundries). Most of my time there was spent scanning the interesting and graphic packaging in the candy aisle. *[Example: below are some boxes of caramels I picked up which come in multiple colorways. Good stuff!]